A-Rod Defiant: 'I Refuse to Quit'

Embattled Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez defiantly said he felt like an underdog, the deck was stacked against him for the first time in his career, and that he never wants to leave New York.

Speaking to USA Today during a rehab assignment in Charleston with the Yankees Class A club this week, Rodriguez said, “I want to compete. I want to stay in New York. I refuse to quit.”

“Maybe it’s stupidity, I don’t know, but I’m wired to compete and give my best. I have a responsibility to be ready to play as soon as I can,” he said.

Rodriguez, who may receiver a 100 game suspension if he is tied to a performance-enhancing drug dealer out of Miami, was recently told to “shut the f*ck up” by his general manager for announcing on Twitter that he was ready to play before the team could make a formal determination.